A Different Fairytale
by Meow-Chan77
Summary: "I was never supposed to see this. They told me that it would break me... and it did... literally" -Gol D. Ace.


**Warnings:**  
**1) I don't own any of the characters. Oda does.**  
**2) This fanfiction is inspired by the song "Friends Go" By Maggie Lindemann.**  
**3) Characters!Death**  
**4) Don't do anything stupid as the characters do in my fanfiction.**

Thank you **SarahPrincess** for editing this story and making it x1000 times better! I really appreciate your hard work. T-T 

* * *

Luffy and Ace were talking in a cafe. Ace didn't know to bring up the subject of their relationship and that he had to break up with the other due to being forced to get married to Vivi, the princess of Alabasta.

Yes, that's right, Vivi. After all, Ace was a prince and bound to the king one day and a political marriage at this stage was requisite.

Ace was absolutely gorgeous in every aspect: a perfect body and personality, carrying wealth at his fingertips. He could attract any man or woman by simply being himself and had anything anyone could ask for. There was, however, a single issue. One that could tear apart himself through the binding expectations of society no matter how perfect he was, as loving a man was forbidden. Falling in love with another man who was already divided from him by class. You see, Luffy had been a prince like himself, only he and his family had wanted to live as the average commoner, giving up royalty altogether. They wanted to live freely without judgment. That's something Ace desperately wanted; to live freely.

And that man he happened to fall in love with was Luffy. He had the most charming smile and laugh that had captivated Ace immediately. Ace had fallen in love in that first moment. They had met two years ago on the beach. Ace had run away that night from the palace, seeking free space away from everyone he knew. It was almost midnight when he arrived at the shore. He was surprised when he saw another man staring out into the sea and while the sight surprised him, he was also annoyed. He wanted to be alone, so what was that guy doing there at such a late hour?

It seemed the other had sensed someone around him as he had turned his head to look behind. When he saw Ace he had just flashed him a smile.

Ace could still remember those first spoken words:  
"The moon's reflection over the sea looks amazing, right?"  
Ace hadn't answered but for some reason, he just sat beside the other. They had started having a conversation and later, Ace had learned his name. Luffy.

Ace had later excused himself to go as the piercing cool breeze and freezing breath that turned visible in the air expressed signs of the early morning. He didn't want anyone in the palace to notice that he was missing. When he started walking away, he heard Luffy shouting after him, asking him for his name. When Ace had heard that he had laughed, assuming Luffy had already known him. After all, everyone in the kingdom did. He was surprised but he had liked the fact that Luffy had liked him without knowing of his royal origins. When Ace told Luffy his name, the other had been shocked; he had been speaking with the prince for almost the entire night. Then he heard Ace telling him to wait for him at the same place the day after so they could talk again.

After a month, Luffy became Ace's boyfriend. Ace didn't tell anyone except his brother, Sabo. He knew that his parents would never allow him to marry a man, especially if the man he loved wasn't royal. Sabo always wanted what was best for his brother which had resulted in warnings to stop spending time with Luffy; their love would bring nothing but pain. But Ace didn't listen and here he was, trying to break up with Luffy despite his constant love for him.

"Luffy, I love you," Ace started.  
"Huh? I know!" Luffy beamed confidently.  
"More than anyone else..." Ace's heart clenched.  
Luffy tilted his head, showing a little confusion, but his eyes sparkled with the same love and adoration Ace felt.  
"But there's something I need to tell you."  
"Okay?"  
"I'm..." everything ached. How could he do this to his boyfriend of two years? How could he do this to the person he learned to love more than anything. "I'm getting married," the words left his throat confidently, masking the agony that came with every sound that was made.  
Colour faded from Luffy's face as his eyes widened and fingers twitched. "Why?" the word was a whisper. Painful to be said.  
"I'm a prince, I have to marry a princess, Luffy! It's written in our laws, there's nothing I can do! We can't... we can't be together, I-"  
"Why...?"  
Ace was quiet.  
"Why?! Why would you... Why would you do that? My hope, my dream, you. Ace, you're my... everything..." he stood up, taking shaky steps backward to the door. "Why would you give me that false hope?" and he ran, tears in his eyes.

* * *

"So, how'd it go?" Sabo asked, seeing the exhausted look on Ace's face, unsurprised when the man didn't answer and instead, headed to his room.  
Ace cried the moment he was in his room. He cried in frustration that he hadn't listened to Sabo in the first place. Because he hurt his precious diamond. Because he hurt the person that loved him for who he was. And most of all, he had cried for himself.

* * *

The next day, Ace's and Vivi's engagement became the biggest news in the kingdom. When Luffy heard, he knew that Ace hadn't been lying. The hope of being with Ace again was lost, as was the hope of being his only love. He felt hopeless and incapable. Nobody could ever help him feel better like Ace could. Only Ace.

As the weeks passed by, Luffy's friends couldn't help but notice that Luffy was getting thinner more than he used to be. He didn't eat the same as he did before, smile as before, or talk to anyone anymore. He had changed so much. Sadly, they couldn't do anything to help him feel better. They didn't even know what had made him so upset in the first place.

Ace tried to love his fiancee but he couldn't; Luffy was his one and only true love. One night, he decided to go to the beach where he used to spend time with Luffy since they first met. When he arrived he was surprised to see ambulances, police, and a crowd whispering things among themselves. "Such a loss" and "too young" rang through his ears as he pushed his way forward. Ace couldn't help but ask what happened there.

"Suicide," a large, older man responded, not even looking at him. "Somethin' terrible, I tell you. Wouldn't go down there if I was you. Kid's your age shouldn't have to see somethin' like that; it'd break you apart."

He was shocked to hear that someone commit suicide but something urged him forward. Regardless, he pushed through.

The man was right. The sight had broken him... Literally. He sight of the corpse of his lover and ex-boyfriend had left him **more** than broken. He ran all the way back to the palace without stopping, completely ignoring anything else. The moment he reached his room he broke down. The image of a dead Luffy wouldn't leave his mind; it refused to process that Luffy was no longer alive.

**_-Earlier That Day-_**

Luffy was lying in his bed with Ace in his mind. Sleep never came easily after Ace broke up with him. People around him asking what was wrong only made the situation worse, making it harder to forget. They were asking him what was wrong all the time and wondered why he had changed, only to start talking about the prince and his new fiancee seconds after; about how cute they were together.  
Luffy couldn't take the pain in his chest anymore. He tried to forget, to eat, to be normal again, to be happy, to socialize but he couldn't. It was harder than he thought. It was hard and impossible to ask for help. If he asked his friends or parents to help he would have to tell them about Ace which would put Ace in trouble and that was the last thing he wanted.

For a second, he wished he didn't run out of the cafe, he wished he could listen to what Ace had to say. Maybe they would have come to a solution. But it was too late to wish. Ace was engaged to Vivi and Luffy knew that he was going fall for her sooner or later. He decided the best solution was to end all of the mess in his head by killing himself. To end his meaningless life.

He was walking at the same beach where he met Ace, deciding he wanted to die there. When he arrived, he took the packet of pills out of his pocket, taking several at the same time as he waited for his end. He felt his body getting hotter and his head spinning but he didn't care, even when his body demanded to throw up. He knew that all of this pain will end so soon. And that's when he closed his eyes.

**_-Present Moment-_**

Two weeks later, when Ace opened his eyes he was shocked to see his lover in front of him, sitting at the edge of his bed looking at him with his charming smile. Ace was sure that he was dreaming or had maybe gone insane so he just ignored the figure and closed his eyes again. Ace felt someone playing with his hair and opened his eyes again. His eyes widened when he saw that it was Luffy. "Ah, sorry for waking you up," Luffy apologized.  
Ace just stared at Luffy, "you're not real..."  
"I am real. Just so long as you can feel me," he answered.

Ace just closed his eyes again and drifted to sleep. He woke up to the sound of the maid telling him that Vivi is gonna visit today and was forced to wake up. When he looked at the edges of his bed he didn't see anyone.

'So you're not real after all huh?' Ace thought with a sad smile.  
When he finally decided to wake up he noticed that there was someone sitting at his sofa, messing with his stuff. When that person turned around, Ace fell down on the floor in horror. It was Luffy again. There is no way he's dreaming this time.  
"Good morning my dear, you sleep a lot don't you?" Luffy laughed.  
"You're not real... How? Just how?"  
"Ugghh...! I am real as long as you can feel me!"  
"I- I..." Ace was speechless.  
"What are you waiting for? Didn't you miss me?" Luffy asked with a frown.

Ace didn't wait for a second and walked to Luffy in slow steps. He stood in front of him and put his hands over the other's face and feeling him. It felt so real that Ace cried and hugged Luffy. Luffy returned the hug.  
"I missed you..." Luffy whispered.  
At that moment Ace knew that Luffy was real.  
Suddenly the door flew open and Rouge was at the door with a mad expression.  
"Ace, Vivi's almost arrived and you're not even ready!"  
When she saw Ace standing there with a shocked expression on his face, she looked at him with a questioning gaze. Ace tried to hide Luffy behind him, not wanting his mother to see him.

"Ace, what are you hiding?" his mother asked.  
"What? Nothing at all, mom."  
"I can see that you're hiding something..."  
With that, Rouge walked up to Ace and looked behind him though she didn't see anything unusual. Ace was shocked; Luffy was standing right there behind him! He was obvious!  
"Anyways, Ace, hurry up and get ready. You don't want to meet your fiancee wearing pajamas, right?"  
"Yeah yeah, I'll be ready in a few minutes."

When Rouge left the room Ace turned to Luffy with a questioning look. Luffy shrugged.  
"Only you can see me."  
"No one else?"  
Luffy shook his head. Ace was happy; he got to see Luffy again! Feel him and talk with him again! He was so happy. But that happiness didn't last long since he had to meet Vivi.

When Ace was done he heard someone knocking at his door.  
"Come in," he groaned.  
It was Vivi.  
"Is it alright if I come in?"  
"Yeah," he answered, knowing he couldn't just refuse and kick her out of the room. She looked beautiful as always. She sat on the sofa as Ace sat beside her. Luffy didn't say anything and just stood beside Ace, listening to their conversation. Almost two hours passed by with them talking about different things.

"I love you, Ace," Vivi confessed shyly. "I started falling for you a while now really... You're really kind and you respect me for me. You never tell me what I should be thinking or doing and it's really fun talking with you..."  
As she was talking, Luffy glared at them with a dark expression, waiting for Ace to answer her.  
"Thank you, Vivi. Really, thank you. But... I don't feel the same. I know we have to get married and I really like you as a friend but I just... don't feel the same way.  
"I understand but Ace," she started, "you can love me, okay? One day you'll love me." And with that promise, she left the room.

Right after she left, Luffy grabbed Ace and kissed him. Ace didn't have time to respond to the kiss before Luffy broke it and whispered into his ear. "Mine."  
Ace couldn't help but smile and whisper, "yours."  
For the second time that day, someone opened the door and interrupted Ace's special moments with Luffy. But this time, it was Sabo. Sabo always checked on him to see how he was doing. He always tried to cheer him up after Luffy had died.  
"I see that you're happier today. Do tell me in detail," his brother smiled.  
"I know what you're hinting at Sabo, and no, nothing happened between me and her."  
"Aww man, you're so boring! It's obvious that she's in love with you."  
"I know but I don't love her and you know that... My heart belongs to Luffy. Only Luffy," Ace answered, smiling at Luffy.  
"Ace... I hate seeing you like this, you know? He's gone... please just let go."  
Ace sighed, still grinning.  
"And what the hell are you smiling at?!"  
"Can't I smile?" Ace replied simply.

After that, Sabo left the room. Ace paid attention to Luffy again; to his Luffy. He started explaining why he had to break up with him. They spent the whole day and night talking, flirting, kissing... All until it was almost sunrise. Ace didn't want to sleep, scared that the next day Luffy would disappear. Luffy managed to convince him otherwise and promised that he would stay by his side all the time. That night, Ace slept with Luffy between his arms.

The next day Ace woke up late again and missed breakfast with his family. He even forgot that he was going to meet with his friends today.  
"Good morning," Luffy whispered into lover's ear, placing sweet kisses over his cheek and neck.  
"I love you to the moon and back," Ace said and Luffy smiled.  
"You love who? Are you practicing your lines to confess to Vivi?" Marco said as he let himself into Ace's room.  
"What are you doing here Marco? And hell no, I don't love her," Ace said. It was clear that he was annoyed.  
"Huh? Everyone is waiting for you outside. We were supposed to go to the movies today. Don't tell me that you forgot!"

"Ugh... No, no don't worry, I didn't forget. Just woke up a little bit late." It was clear that he forgot.  
"A little bit? Did you stay up the whole night or what? Oh wait, maybe you stayed up with Vivi flirting."  
"Marco! How many times do I need to say that I don't love her at all!"  
"Bro, don't get mad. Anyways, my dear prince, get ready. Unless you want to hang out with us shirtless," he added. With that, Marco left the room.

Luffy couldn't help but smile as he witnessed the little conversation between Ace and Marco. He had never met any of Ace's family members or friends. Luffy asked Ace if he should go with them or stay in his room but Ace told him to come along. He didn't want Luffy to disappear out of his sight.

When Ace and his friends arrived at the movies they were already noticing Ace's weird movements such as staring into nowhere or smiling at nothing. They thought that it was just their imagination and that Ace had always been like that so they just shrugged it off and continued having fun together.

As months passed by people started noticing that Ace was acting weird. He hardly socialized with anyone anymore, even with his best friends. Some of the maids could swear they heard him talking to someone. Vivi said that Ace was changing and that he didn't make any effort to flirt with her as he used to when they were first engaged.

Ace spent most of the time in his room with Luffy where he knew the other was real and alive. They flirted, had sex and fought like real couples. The only difference was that no one other than Ace could see Luffy.

One day, Vivi decided to ask Ace why he was changing. His answer was so simple.  
"I don't love you. My heart belongs to someone else."  
She couldn't believe his excuse. Nobody rejected her; they all fell for her at some point or another. She was a hundred percent sure that there was something wrong with Ace. She started visiting him more and more each day. She was surprised when she heard him talking to someone called "Luffy" and even more so when she could hear him flirting with whoever the other was.

Jealousy took over her that day. Ace was in love with someone who wasn't her at all. She thought that Sabo was the best person to talk to in this situation, asking to meet him somewhere private. When she saw him she first asked him if he noticed any changes in Ace's attitude.

"Almost everyone close to Ace has noticed something's up... We've tried talking to Ace about it but he says there's nothing wrong; he's always saying it's just us," Sabo chuckled and Vivi went quiet for a moment.  
"Hey, Sabo?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Who's Luffy?" she asked.  
Sabo froze in shock. "He's-" he coughed, clearing his throat. "He was Ace's boyfriend. This was before you two got engaged, of course. After... After Ace broke up, I had heard that Luffy had commit suicide..." he added gravely.  
Vivi was shocked and quickly explained the things she had heard. Sabo was just as shocked as her, not expecting this. Definitely not this.

Sabo started spying on Ace whenever he had the chance. He'd usually stand in front of Ace's bedroom door to try and hear anything. He heard Ace mutter Luffy's name and while in the past he'd usually laugh at this, this time it's nothing funny. After all, Luffy was dead. Sabo couldn't help but blame himself. He could have stopped all of this a long time ago. He decided to tell their parents.

Their parents were so shocked to know that Ace was in love with another man. And not just any man either, but a man from the family that had rejected their royalty. After the conversation, cameras had been inserted around Ace's room without him knowing.  
They started having arguments about Ace as well. At first, they thought that Luffy was a ghost who had come for revenge but then they thought that it was a ridiculous idea.

After a few days, they checked the cameras in Ace's room. It showed that Ace was talking with no one most of the time but now they knew that it was Luffy. Sabo told the psychiatrist about this.  
"You say that he hasn't been entire 'there' so to speak, yes?"  
"Yes, that's right."  
"Has he been experiencing any dissociative amnesia since the incident?"  
"What's that...?"  
The psychiatrist continued to hold the pen at the board of the paper, not looking up at Sabo's eyes.  
"Does he forget the incident that occurred?"  
"Yeah, he does; it's like he never even saw it happen."  
The psychiatrist had a look of realization. "It is possible he's dealing with Acute Stress Disorder. Though that would be more likely if he were experiencing episodes of reliving the traumatic event..." he said thoughtfully. "Regardless, he believes he is seeing 'Luffy'. He's disconnected to the rest of the world and experiencing hallucinations triggered by post-traumatic stress. This kind of lifestyle is incredibly unhealthy and could possibly lead to serious long-term issues."  
"Do you have any recommendations...?"  
"Well, he needs help as soon as possible. I can't recommend anything at this stage however, I ask that you keep me informed of the situation as it continues."  
"No worries; I'll call you right away when I hear him talking to Luffy." Sabo knew they wouldn't be able to handle Ace by themselves.

After a few days, Ace was talking with Luffy. Luffy was the only thing that Ace could see and they were crazy about each other. Suddenly, someone busted into his room. It was Sabo with their parents following behind. Ace just stared at them dumbfounded.  
"What the hell are you all doing in here?" he asked aggressively.  
Sabo looked disappointed. "Look, it's okay Ace. It'll be alright, it's just us."  
Ace started worrying. Could it be that they had heard him talking with Luffy? Luffy was real, he knew. He was certain of it. Luffy was standing right beside him! Why did nobody else believe it?

Luffy was looking at Ace with a worried expression but Ace just smiled at him to assure that everything would be alright.  
"What are you smiling at, Ace?" but Ace knew that there was no point in lying anymore.  
"At Luffy," he said.  
"Luffy's dead, Ace. Just... just come with me, please? You need help. I know a psychiatrist, he can help you. Please, Ace."  
"No," Ace refused.  
His parents tried to force him but he struggled, making it difficult. "If you take Luffy away, I'll leave!" he threatened. No one would take away his Luffy.

Sabo felt bad for doing this; it was hard for him to see all of this and to feel helpless seeing his brother like this. But he had to do it. He held Ace to prevent him from moving when suddenly a man came into his room, injecting a needle into Ace's arm. After a moment Ace stopped struggling and calmed down. He fell into a deep sleep.

When Ace woke up he found himself in a white bed with white sheets. Some men wearing white jackets stood nearby. They were the therapists. One of them noticed that Ace was awake.  
"Ah, don't worry. You'll feel better soon, okay?"  
"I'm more than fine the way I am!" he shouted.  
"Yes, shh, it's okay," a woman tried to sooth.  
"So, Ace, right? Tell me, how long had you and this Luffy been in a relationship?" one asked.  
"Yes, was this a nurturing relationship? Were there any problems?"  
"How close were you both when you decided to put the relationship to an end?"  
The therapists wanted to be done with this as fast as possible before the news spread about the prince being in love with another man. It was Roger's orders, even if Rouge had disagreed. She thought that it would be better to take it easy on Ace and not force answers out of him but rather, give him time to adjust to everything and to get the idea that the Luffy he currently saw was just his imagination and nothing more. She said that Ace's health was more important than her reputation.

The therapists went with Roger's orders since he was the king. They forced the answers out of Ace's mouth and into saying everything he saw. Ace was left with one therapist to talk to and that was Law. Law told Ace that Luffy wasn't real at all and that he should let him help.

"You know this is all in your head, right? Luffy died about 5 months ago," Law said, showing Ace the records and the photograph. Ace didn't try to look at the information.  
"Luffy's real! I know he is!" Luffy had to be real or Ace couldn't live without him.  
Law just gave Ace a small packet of white pills.  
"Once a day for now. These will make you feel better."  
They were meant to make Ace feel better. Or rather, they were supposed to make Luffy disappear and fix his mind. When Law got out of the room, Ace saw Luffy and smiled weakly.  
"We'll be alright, Luffy."

Sooner or later, Ace was forced to take those white pills and after a few days of taking those pills, Luffy disappeared. Ace wasn't able to see him, feel him or talk with him. He felt a lot worse than before. He was alone in the big wide world. Again. Vivi always came to visit him, hoping Ace would finally be alright.

After a month, on his wedding day, Ace convinced everyone that he was alright and that they shouldn't worry anymore about him. It was a lie. Now that Luffy wasn't there he would never be able to feel better. Even if Luffy was in his head, he didn't want to get out of it. He talked with Sabo about Luffy, how Luffy was able to understand him better than anyone else. But Sabo just told him that he was just a part of his imagination. Ace still thought that what they were saying wasn't true though. He couldn't imagine his life without Luffy.

Vivi was finally happy that Ace loved her more than a friend and that he was ready to marry her. To build a family with her. She had such high hopes about this marriage. They planned a lot together including how they would live and travel a lot together, how they would have kids, how they would love each other endlessly. She didn't know what was coming.

No, Ace wasn't happy at all. He didn't have any feelings for Vivi. He felt bad for lying to her but what else could he do? In the day of their wedding, Ace planned to join Luffy in his grave, to follow him in death. He thought a lot about this. He knew that it would hurt everyone around him: his friends, his parents, his fiancee, and especially his brother. But what was the point in making others happy if he wasn't happy himself? What was the point of his life without Luffy? What was the point of him marrying and building a happy family with someone other than Luffy?

He wrote a note.

"Dear parents, thank you for caring for the family's reputation more than our happiness. I'm sorry anyway" he wrote bitterly.

Dear brother, I'm so sorry for lying to you and telling you that I'm alright. I wish I listened to you in the first place. But, you know, I feel bad for leaving you alone in this world but there is nothing I can do about it. I can't live this way.

Dear Vivi, I'm sorry for giving you hope about me and you being together and living a happy life. You deserve someone better than me. I'm sorry again, but I can't be anyone but Luffy's. I can't imagine myself with someone other than him.

Dear friends, thank you for standing by my side each time I had a problem but where were you this time?

I'm sorry to each one of you for the pain I'll cause you. Please, don't cry beside my grave. I'll be happy with Luffy again. See you on the other side one day."

* * *

After a few hours, Sabo came into Ace's room. He wanted to know what was taking him so long to get ready for his wedding day. Vivi was waiting for him! He knocked on the door but nobody answered and he started panicking. What if Ace ran away? He tried to get in but the door was locked. He didn't have time to call the maid to give him spare keys so he just broke the door and got in.

He couldn't think straight when he saw what was in front of him. He fell on his knees. The sight of Ace hanged on a rope broke his heart. His lips trembled and his eyes burned as he tried to prevent his tears from falling. He called to Ace a few times but couldn't move anymore. Suddenly Sabo heard screaming from behind him. It was Rouge. She had followed him to see what was taking them so long. It didn't take a few minutes for everyone to know what happened and gather around Ace's room. Sabo held the note but his view was blurred from the tears in his wide eyes. He couldn't read it yet. He wasn't ready.

At the funeral, Sabo didn't talk with anyone. Rouge's eyes were all red from crying and Roger felt guilt consuming him – he should have let Ace live the way he wanted. Vivi kept on wondering why Ace would do this and couldn't help but blame herself for Ace's death. Marco and the rest of Ace's friends were speechless. How come they hadn't noticed that Ace wasn't alright at all? But it was too late to do anything.

* * *

When Ace opened his eyes he felt that he was lying on the sand. He heard the ocean's waves around him and knew that he was at the beach. He had died, right? So what was he doing here? Was it all a dream? When he looked around him, he noticed a guy sitting there, staring at the sea. It was Luffy. When Luffy noticed him he said, "the moon's reflection over the sea looks amazing, right?"  
Ace was speechless yet he was incredibly happy to see Luffy again. He got closer to him and wrapped his arms around him as if he hadn't seen him in forever. He had missed Luffy. He missed every little detail. Ace knew he was on the other side.

_**THE END**_

* * *

I really have to say this. No matter what happens in your life suicide isn't the right thing to do. There are other solutions. I just want to let everyone know that they matter.

Please, tell me your opinion honestly in the reviews :))

(I know that this isn't the real meaning behind this song but I imagined it this way and wrote this one-shot)

Have a nice day and thank you for reading. :)


End file.
